Mike Pence, Pretend Lifeguard of Conservatism—Voters Already Left His Pool

  Steve Cortes › American Greatness  

"A movement that failed to defend those things for decades cannot credibly lecture Americans about conserving the country now."

Remember this old dating joke?

"Mike Pence anointed himself to stand athwart the populist Right with a whistle in his mouth, screaming for conservatives to “get out of the pool.”

"The imagery fits him perfectly.

"Pence increasingly resembles that obnoxious childhood lifeguard we all remember—the self-important scold, high on perceived power, perched way above everyone else. As such, Pence is convinced that enforcing his rules matters more than understanding why people jumped into the water in the first place.

"From his perch at CNN studios and establishment think tanks, Pence now lectures conservatives about “traditional principles,” warning Republicans against populism and urging a return to the old GOP orthodoxy. He has given obnoxious interviews recently, pushing this theme, trying to sell his irrelevant new book, presumably to Democrats who hate the America First movement.

"But there’s one glaring problem with Pence’s sermon: the voters already rejected the system he represents. Specifically, Pence demands that Republicans engage in “soul-searching” over populism. Fine. Let’s do exactly that.

"What exactly did the old Republican establishment “conserve”?

"For 30 years, establishment Republicans insisted mass migration was good for America—good for GDP, good for business, good for “growth.”

"But good for whom?

"American workers faced relentless wage pressure. Small towns watched their identities change seemingly overnight. Schools, hospitals, and public services absorbed enormous strain. And corporate America got precisely what it wanted: an endless supply of cheap labor, all while generational Americans lost their nation.

"Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington perfected the same political scam cycle: promise border security now, but actually deliver massive loopholes and labor importation later.

"Thankfully, Americans realized they were being conned. That realization—not personality, not rhetoric, not “tribalism”—is why the populist Right rose so powerfully inside the Republican Party." . . .More...

A Skunk by Any Other Name—MSNBC is Now MSNOW | AMAC